Liu Yi is an author about whom little public information is available. Two works can currently be attributed to him: Notes and Collation on the Qinghe Huachuafang and Random Essays on Life, falling respectively into the categories of classic works and prose miscellany. The Qinghe Huachuafang is a Ming-dynasty compilation of painting and calligraphy records assembled by Zhang Chou; a work of "collation and discussion" of this kind generally points to textual criticism and verification, suggesting that Liu Yi's scholarly approach leans toward traditional documentary editing, with attention to comparing editions and examining historical materials on painting and calligraphy. Such work is unobtrusive but offers readers a more solid reference for understanding ancient catalogues of art. Random Essays on Life turns to prose miscellany, with subjects drawn from everyday observations and personal reflection in what appears to be a plain and unhurried style, forming a contrast with the former volume—one devoted to textual research, the other to personal expression. Because basic details such as dates of birth and death, native place, and profession cannot be verified, his life remains difficult to outline, and only his extant works can be briefly introduced.
